Budget Vote Reflects Capitol's 'Overspending Protocol'

Senator John Moorlach, CA Senate’s Only C.P.A. Responds to Passage of AB93 and its negative fiscal impact

Monday, June 15, 2015

Sacramento, CA (June 15, 2015) – Today, Senator Moorlach (R-Costa Mesa) made the following comments from the Senate Floor on how the passage of AB93 will only thrust California towards ‘fiscal implosion:

“This budget before us departs from Governor Brown’s call for greater fiscal restraint. Instead, it takes the most fiscally optimistic revenue estimates and spends up to that line. And many expenditures are also optimistic, if recent trends continue.

The State Legislature should not use the higher revenue projections provided by the Legislative Analyst’s Office. Our leadership should under promise and over deliver. Not the opposite.

This budget doesn’t make a dent in our $72 billion in unfunded retiree medical costs, or the over $100 billion + in unfunded pension liabilities.

Two areas of obvious concern: California is one of the top five states when it comes to providing child care for parents of school age students, while its overall fiscal condition is in the bottom five. Child care, as compassionate as it may be, is not deficiently funded and is not a top priority.

My preference is that the Legislature should be focused on FOUR areas when it comes to disbursing new revenues. It should devote 25 percent to additional funding toward the unfunded pension liabilities; 25 percent to begin the funding for the unfunded employee retiree medical liabilities; 25 percent toward repaying internal and external funds that were depleted during the Great Recession; and 25 percent to pay for the deferred maintenance to roads and structures over the past decade.

Staying on this current course will lead to a fiscal implosion. The time to change course is now. I stand opposed to AB 93.”